Posts Tagged royalty-free Christmas scripts

Not only did my Christmas one-act DEATH BY POINSETTIA get produced in Hollywood this Christmas season, it also had a staged reading Roanoke at Mill Mountain Theatre, through the Hollins Playwright’s Lab. Sadly, I missed the show because I was in Orlando for the staged reading of MISS MITCHELL’S COMET. Michael and Amanda Mansfield were the actors; Lauren Brooke Ellis directed.

This is also a big year for my Christmas one-act DEATH BY POINSETTIA, which was one of three shows of mine that were at the Actors Workout Studio in Hollywood in early December 2017. Kara Duffus shares these photos.

First Avenue Playhouse in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey is producing my full-length Christmas comedy ON THE THIREENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS. The show runs Dec. 4-19; specific dates and times here. At last, I have a photo of the whole cast — well, almost.

ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMASA wild, action-packed Christmas farce. A young woman suddenly finds herself receiving the gifts from the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” apparently from an unknown suitor. The play begins on the thirteenth day as she copes with the chaos outside her apartment, as neighbors demand she do something about the noisy birds and pipers and drummers. The woman hatches a plan to shoot the birds and organize the people into an impromptu Christmas parade. Chaos ensues. Cast: 13 — 7f, 3m, 3 non-gender.

ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMASA wild, action-packed Christmas farce. A young woman suddenly finds herself receiving the gifts from the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” apparently from an unknown suitor. The play begins on the thirteenth day as she copes with the chaos outside her apartment, as neighbors demand she do something about the noisy birds and pipers and drummers. The woman hatches a plan to shoot the birds and organize the people into an impromptu Christmas parade. Chaos ensues. Cast: 13 — 7f, 3m, 3 non-gender.

The CW Actors Group in Collbran, Colorado will produce two of my Christmas one-acts on December 19 and 20.

They scripts are THE ANGEL TREE and A ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS. This will be the first production of the latter; there may be a prior production of THE ANGEL TREE at another theatre before then, but I’m still waiting on confirmation on that.

THE ANGEL TREE
An angel appears to a single mother at Christmas and helps her find a common bond with her surly teenage daughter. Cast: Three females. Running time: 20 minutes.
A ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS
A grandfather and grandmother dress up as a zombie and a vampire to try to connect their their teen-age granddaughter. Miscommunication ensues. Cast: Four – one senior male, one senior female, one adult female, one teen female. Running time: Fifteen minutes.

* November 7, 8, 14, 15, 22, and 23:DEMOTING PLUTO, one-act, Short Science Play Showcase at the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico.* November 12: JENNA AND HER PRIZE-WINNING PIG CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY, Lewis and Clark School District, Minot, North Dakota.* December 2: KLAUS, staged reading in New York, as part of the Gi60 Extended Editions.* December 6-7: THE BEAUTIFUL OGRE AND OTHER FAIRY TALES, CAN I?, CHEF PIERRE DOES NOT DO SIMPLE, and GOD AND THE DEVIL MEET FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH, by the Jeonju Players, Joenju, South Korea.* December 16: OLGA, staged reading at IRT Theatre, New York, N.Y.* December 19-20: LET THERE BE LIGHTS! by Mockingbird Players, Columbia City, Indiana.

My full-length script that imagines an origin story for Santa Claus — KLAUS — will have a staged reading in New York on December 2, exact venue and such still TBA.

This is through the auspices of Gi60 — the annual “Gone in 60 Seconds” Festival of one-minute plays that takes place each summer in New York, with a counterpart in Great Britain. I’ve been fortunate to have had my short work done there for several years. Now, the Gi60 folks are using their “off-season” to feature longer scripts by some of the Gi60 writers.

KLAUS: How it all beganWhere did Santa Claus come from? There is no particular origin myth, until now. This story begins in the 1740s with an eccentric German professor of what we now call physics. He invents time travel, and when he becomes the target of the wrath of a mob who wants to burn him as a witch, he uses it to escape. Involves science fiction, treason against the king, a love story, and some cooking. Cast: Seven – six male, one female.

This will be the second staged reading for KLAUS. The first was in 2012 in Roanoke, Virginia, through Hollins University.

Dwayne Yancey is a playwright from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He’s had scripts produced throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and other locations abroad. For more on his work, contact him directly at dwayneyancey@gmail.com.